14 Major Risks That Used To Be The Stuff Of Science Fiction

Risk management is a part of our everyday personal and professional lives. We know to look both ways before crossing the street. We also know that we must diversify our investment portfolios to mitigate the impact of a stock market crash.

But, what about the less obvious risks?

The World Economic Forum is out with their list of 50 Global Risks of 2012. It includes well-known ones: chronic fiscal imbalances, severe income disparity, rising greenhouse gas emissions, cyber attacks, terrorism, etc.

It also includes risks we don't think about every day like cyber neotribalism, the militarization of space, and a volcanic winter.

What follows is a list of risks once believed only to exist in science fiction novels. They're also risks highlighted by 469 experts and industry leaders surveyed by the World Economic Forum.